In the Weeds Podcast with Chef Spike Mendelsohn

Lost Top Chef, Won the Internet: Eric Adjepong is 'The People's Champ' — Now Chasing a Michelin Star at DC's Elmina

He lost Top Chef's finale — and somehow won the internet anyway. Chef Spike welcomes back Eric Adjepong, the Bronx-raised, first-generation Ghanaian-American chef the int

Chef Patrice Cleary: She Joined the Marines to Save Her Family, Then Built DC's Filipino Food Empire

The Marine Corps couldn't break her. A pandemic couldn't break her. No culinary school, no mentor, no safety net — just her mother's recipe and zero interest in quitting.

He Wasn't Allowed to Touch the Stove Growing Up. Now Chef Anthony Jones Runs Marcus DC.

Chef Anthony Jones grew up on the Chesapeake — crabbing, fishing, shucking corn with family — but there was one rule in the house: stay off the stove. Now he's running th

Zach Leonsis: The Almost-Architect Behind Monumental Sports' $800M Arena Overhaul

Zach Leonsis, EVP of Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Washington Capitals, Wizards, Mystics) and son of owner Ted Leonsis, joins Spike Mendelsohn at DC Central Kitchen

Bobby Hicks: The Chef Bringing the Past Back to Life

Bobby Hicks — private chef, Next Level Chef semi-finalist, and the creator of Retro Recipes Kitchen — sits down with Spike to talk about his debut cookbook, Retro Recipes

Nycci Nellis Has 24 Years of Industry Tea and She's Spilling It Here

Nycci Nellis has interviewed everyone from Thomas Keller to Anthony Bourdain — and today, Spike flips the script. The founder of The List, co-host of the 18-year-running

Chef Victor Albisu: Love, Meat, and a Little Disrespect

Victor Albisu — the operator behind Taco Bamba (now 16 locations across four states) — sits back down with Spike to talk Electric Bull, his new all-day South American ste

Chef Amanda Freitag: From Burning Out to Leveling Up, She's Resilient AF

Chef Amanda Freitag didn’t just survive the old-school New York restaurant gauntlet — she thrived in it. From chaotic Jersey banquet halls to the CIA to butchering fish i

Chef Rose Previte: No White Plates, No Rules, All Heart

Restaurateur, chef, and experience-architect Rose Previte doesn’t just run restaurants—she builds worlds. The creative force behind Compass Rose, Maydān, and the new Mayd

Chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio: Two Brothers, One Grind, Zero Shortcuts

Today we're not just plating one powerhouse chef — we’ve got two. The Voltaggio Brothers sit down with Spike for an episode layered like a perfect terrine: humble beginni

Chef Chad Rosenthal: The Smoke, The Strip & The Story In Between (plus a side of warm nuts)

From slinging ribs in the Philly suburbs to beating Bobby Flay on national TV, Chef Chad Rosenthal has built a career on smoke, soul, and a stubborn refusal to take himse

Salt of the Earth: From Puffins to Pure Flakes with Gísli Grímsson of Saltverk

This week on In The Weeds Podcast, Spike sits down with Gísli Grímsson — chef, storyteller, and sustainable saltmaker from the wild Westfjords of Iceland. From a childhoo

Shawn Townsend: From the Night Mayor to DC's Restaurant Boss

Spike sits down with Shawn Townsend, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington — aka the guy making sure the DMV’s food scene doesn’t bur

Chef David Guas: Let The Good Times Roll (All the Way to DC)

Chef David Guas brings the soul of New Orleans wherever he goes—and in this episode, he brings it straight into the In The Weeds studio. From washing dishes at a Chinese

Chef Marcus Samuelsson: A Life Seasoned With Grit & Grace

In this episode of In The Weeds Podcast, Spike goes deep with Chef Marcus Samuelsson — James Beard Award winner, author, activist, and the force behind Red Rooster, Hav &

Chef Kat Petonito: Take Your Ego Off The Plate

This week on In The Weeds Podcast, Spike sits down with Chef Katarina Petonito—the force behind The Duck & The Peach, La Collina, and The Wells. Kat gets real about: Gro

Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos: Humility, Hustle & Healing Through Food

Spike sits down with Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos–better known as Juanma—to trace his wild rise from running a hot dog cart kitchen to leading Elcielo, the first Colombian

Chef Roy Yamaguchi: Cooking With Aloha (and a side of crunchy noodles)

What do fried pepperoni with rice, crunchy instant noodles “cooked” on a dorm-room hot plate, and accidentally eating a whole artichoke leaf have in common? They’re all p

John Mooney: A Chef's Chef & Industry Legend

On episode 17 of  In the Weeds Podcast with Chef Spike Mendelsohn, we’re joined by Chef John Mooney—a true chef’s chef who has worked alongside some of the most renowned

From Music Dreams to Food Equity: Chef Michel Nischan’s Unexpected Path

On episode 16, chef and food equity advocate, Michel Nischan gets In The Weeds with Spike Mendelsohn. From truck stop cook to James Beard Award-winning chef, Michel Nisch